A Control Study on the Effects of HRV Biofeedback Therapy in Patients with Post-Stroke Depression

The post-stroke is often associated with emotional disorders, among which post-stroke depression (PSD) has a high incidence. We applied Heart Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback to train PSD patients by a prospective randomized control study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the HRV biofeedback on stroke patients' emotional improvement, autonomic nerve function and prognostic implications. In the feedback group, the patients had learned to breathe at the resonant frequency to increase their low frequency (LF) as well as adjust their respiration to synchronize with heart rate fluctuations. Our findings suggest that the HRV biofeedback may be a valid treatment especially on the improvement of depression levels and sleep disturbance in PSD patients.